Making the best better

The Grygla-Gatzke Go-Getter’s 4-H Club is a member of the Roseau County 4-H program. Just over a dozen kids signed up to do this summer’s State Exchange in Texas. The program is paid for through Roseau County 4-H, but the kids did raise a lot of money through fundraisers prior to the trip. With just an initial $125 fee per kid, after fundraising, the only cost come trip-time for each individual was each owns spending money.

Participating families in the 4-H program in Texas opened their home and each took in a Roseau County 4-H member. As the name states, it’s an exchange program, which means that next summer, the family that Walter stayed with in Texas, will send their son to stay in Gatzke with the Jones family for a week!

The Roseau County 4-H kids left for their trip on Sunday, June 17th. Walter flew from Minneapolis to San Antonio and didn’t return back home until the following Sunday.

Staying in Marion, Texas, a half-hour outside of San Antonio, Walter was welcomed into the home of Michael and Lisa Friesenhahn, whose son, Nathan, is also involved in his local 4-H club.

Through the program, the host families can plan fun activities on the side, however, the entire group meets every morning where a coordinator has vans and buses ready to take all of the kids around sight-seeing. Walter says his host family only came with on a couple of the outings, although Nathan was a part of all daily trips as he is a member of the exchange program, like Walter. 

Out of the many, many sites the group visited, Walter said his favorite was one off the main schedule. His host dad, Michael, manages a sale barn, Seguin Cattle Company, so they took Walter there one day. Anyone who knows him, knows Walter loves cattle! The family he stayed with raises Brahman Angus Cross, which Walter said was really neat to see since they aren’t commonly found in Minnesota.

Some of the other notable stops the group made included the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park where they toured LBJ’s home and ranch. It was here that Walter took his one and only photo the entire week! The LBJ ranch raises Horned Herefords and being a Hereford man himself, Walter deemed this photo-worthy! The group also went to a living history farm and experienced Luckenbach, Texas, 4-H style. Another day included touring the Alamo, walking through the Riverwalk and taking a tour on a riverboat. Though they also visited the coast one day, Walter said he isn’t much of a swimmer, but it was still fun to see the ocean. 

When asked what he took away the most from this experience, he says, “The culture. Everything is so different in Texas, including the agriculture. That’s what I thought was the neatest.

Not steering too far away from his farm roots, it’s no surprise Walter enjoyed seeing the agriculture down south the most. And being a part of Roseau County 4-H, that’s what the entire experience is really about!

The Roseau County Fair is coming up July 15-20. Walter plans to show one of his Polled Hereford steers and a cow/calf pair in the livestock show. He is also showing a draft horse team through open-class. 

When asked what he loves the most about his local 4-H club, Walter had the most mature answer. He said, “Well, our motto is to make the best better…so there’s that!” Between volunteering his time within the Grygla-Gatzke Go-Getter’s, cleaning ditching, helping at the Roseau County Fair, along with entering and showing livestock, the best will definitely just continue to get better. 

The Jones family has already started planning some fun outings for when Nathan visits next summer as part of the exchange program. Walter says they’ll most likely take him to Lake of the Woods fishing, maybe up to Canada or over to the Bemidji area. Nathan has never been to Minnesota; there’s no doubt Walter and his family will show him a great time and the same hospitality that was received in Texas.

For a Roseau County Fair schedule, along with 4-H information, check out the fair write-up on the back page.